SeaTrees Launches World’s First Marine Biodiversity Credits at COP16 in Cali, Colombia: Press Release

CALI, COLOMBIA (17 October 2024) – As delegates from 196 countries around the world arrive for the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Colombia this October, they will be greeted by a 21-foot-tall installation called Biodiversity Jenga. Von Wong’s art also marks the introduction of SeaTrees marine Biodiversity Blocks, a groundbreaking new funding model designed to restore and protect critical ecosystems. 

The sculpture, composed of 12 different land and ocean ecosystems spread across 34 blocks by internationally acclaimed artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong, will stand in the center of the  Blue Zone. This striking artwork symbolizes the delicate balance between human activity and the accelerating loss of Earth’s biodiversity. 

“Ocean-based projects like kelp and mangrove restoration are in high demand and extremely effective for coastal protection, habitat, and carbon sequestration, yet support for them hasn’t met their outsized role in our planetary emergency,” Michael Stewart, Co-Founder of SeaTrees, adds. “The SeaTrees biodiversity funding model enhances our ability to direct resources to where they’re needed most, with transparent, real-world results.”

This initiative is crucial, as 90% of Earth's carbon is stored in the oceans, yet only 4% of conservation and restoration funding is allocated to marine ecosystems. SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks, following the Biodiversity Credit Alliance guidelines, look to fix that imbalance. This new funding mechanism has a three-dimensional approach that restores biodiversity, helps protect coastlines, and often has carbon benefits. SeaTrees' inaugural Block offerings focus on three key projects: a Kenyan mangrove forest, a kelp forest off Sydney’s coast, and a coral reef in Fiji. Blocks will first go online for the Kenya project during Biodiversity COP16. 

“Biodiversity Blocks are an evolution in crediting and conservation,” says Kevin Whilden, Co-Founder of SeaTrees. “They allow those of us working in restoration and protection to focus on the full ecosystem, not just carbon capture. We hope this model offers a pathway to restoring balance and ensuring ecosystems continue to support life on Earth.”

SeaTrees aims to expand from 24 to 100 marine ecosystem restoration projects by 2030. View the SeaTrees white paper released today HERE.

Biodiversity Jenga aims to attract attention to biodiversity restoration and ocean conservation while celebrating the world’s first marine biodiversity credits, SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks. Local nonprofits and schools have decorated custom aquariums and terrariums that feature the plants and animals found in these ecosystems. Unlike traditional Jenga, participants restore balance by pushing blocks back into place.

“This installation is more than a sculpture—it’s a monument that symbolizes both the challenges we face and the solutions we can create together to restore balance to our planet,” says Von Wong. “I hope Biodiversity Jenga stands as a turning point in our relationship with nature—where we choose restoration rather than extraction.”

SeaTrees is an official player in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and this marketplace is a launchpad for funding ecosystem restoration projects. Each project is linked to blockchain-based digital receipts with artwork and impact stories. The Blocks are registered on the Regen Network, and the associated SeaTrees Biodiversity Marketplace operates on the Solana blockchain. The Biodiversity Game debut at COP16 highlights the urgent need to restore biodiversity, with SeaTrees leading the charge by launching the world’s first marine-based biodiversity credits to drive global action and commitments.

Photos and videos available upon request.

Learn more at www.seatrees.org and follow the build of “Biodiversity Jenga” and the launch of Biodiversity Blocks on SeaTrees Instagram, X, and Facebook.   

Learn more in person from Benjamin Von Wong and Kevin Whilden with a phone or video interview or in person at COP16.

About SeaTrees

SeaTrees is a 501c3 non-profit Sustainable Surf program that develops coastal restoration projects worldwide to reverse climate change. We believe the ocean is the hero of our story – to boost biodiversity, support local communities, and reverse climate change. Through SeaTrees, we plant, protect, and restore coastal ecosystems, including kelp and mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, oyster reefs, and coastal watersheds.

SeaTrees funds this work through donations from brands and individuals committed to reversing climate change and creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities. We partner with local nonprofit organizations at each project location to manage the restoration and protection work, providing a vast array of critical benefits to both the planet and people. 

About Benjamin Von Wong and the Biodiversity Jenga Installation

Benjamin Von Wong's work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics. It has attracted the attention of corporations, like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike, and has generated over a billion views for causes like ocean plastics, electronic waste, and fashion pollution.

The “Biodiversity Jenga” Installation was fabricated over a month by Jonny Edmonds and his team at Metamateriales Sas. Landscape designer Milton Duarte created the 12 ecosystems, spread across 34 blocks, while artisan Sasha Herrera built seven dioramas highlighting the leading causes of ecosystem destruction. Over 200 students from the Luis Madina and Santa Librada schools helped build 150 animals that populated our ecosystems, led by the artist coordinator Raizha Guzman. The lighting design of the tower was completed by Carlos Hoyos. Charlotte de Casabianca, who leads the Colombian chapter of Burners without Borders, coordinated the entire build with the support of Nicolas Saenz. A behind-the-scenes documentary of the project will be created by Manuel Gussmann. Funding, design, production, and communications were supported by environmental impact strategist Casson Trenor.

Media contacts for SeaTrees: 

Lora Bodmer 

+1.307.690.1630
lora@deep-communications.com

Media contacts for Benjamin Von Wong:

Benjamin Von Wong

+1.702.576.2390
hi@vonwong.com